In Occupied Belgium (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1921 Excerpt: ... AT TESSENDERLOO At the left of the Chairman of the Local Committee sits Mr. Tracy B. Kittredge, the first Delegate of the C. R. B. in the Limbourg. Mr. Wynants, the Secretary, is on the Chairman's right. From a photograph sent to the author by M. Wynants. XXV--"QUELLES NOUVELLES?" ALMOST INVARIABLY, the Belgian greeting was, "Bonjour--quelles nouvelles?" And the onlyreason he wanted to know the news was that he might impart it--for what is the good of knowing anything, if you cannot tell your friends? This attitude of mind--common in every democracy where free speech has been the order--led the late Freiherr von Bissing to chide the Belgians for their "childlike" behavior: and undoubtedly they did talk too much. Living in a land, the press of which was controlled by the enemy, they were allowed to read no neutral paper save the Nieuw Rotterdam'sche Courant; and nothing cheered them like the failure of this sheet to appear--for then they said, "Good news for us, and the Boches don't want to let it in." Though the reason may have been quite other. True, the mysterious Libre Belgique circulated at irregular intervals, and the Occupying Authorities received their copies without fail. And perhaps kept them, for a full set of this daring journal--unique in newspaper annals--must now be worth its weight in gold. One could not read this paper in public, several years being, I believe, the penalty for having it in one's possession. It did much, however, to keep up the morale of the Belgians, and enraged the Boches, who were never able to find where, how, and by whom it was published. Hungry for news, the Belgians became adepts at reading between the lines of the German-edited papers. It was interesting to compare the version ...